Nelson: Time to get movin'

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, February 26, 2008

If the Warriors want to move up in the West, they'll have to move the ball - and themselves - first.

Such was the message preached by coach Don Nelsonon Monday, when rarely used centers Patrick O'Bryantand Kosta Perovicwere stationed as extra defenders while their teammates ran a full-court scrimmage.

"Four-on-four is a simple game. Five-on-five is very complex. Five-on-six, there's not many holes there," Nelson said. "I just wanted to crowd it up and see how we move the ball."

It was the first time Golden State has used the drill all season, and the timing wasn't without cause. The Warriors will be missing center Andris Biedrins, one of their best screen-and-rollers, for about another two weeks as he recovers from an appendectomy.

And with Monta Ellis emerging as another go-to player, along with Baron Davisand Stephen Jackson, there will be pressure on all three to find open teammates off their isolation drives.

"You get ball movement off of those situations if the guy has the ability to pass the ball and find people," Nelson said. "That's where you get assists. It's not just the one-on-one. It's the ability to draw people and then attack on the other side of the floor."

That also requires the Warriors to be in motion, whether it's cutting through the lane for dump-offs or roving around the perimeter. Nelson believes the lack of ball and body movement is one of the main reasons for Golden State's inconsistency, as well as the underutilization of Chris Webber's passing skills.

"It's something that we're going to have to figure out these last 27 games," Jackson said. "I know in the fourth quarter, we do a lot of one-on-one because me and BD want the ball in our hands to make plays, even Monta.

"So I just think the biggest thing for us is to figure out that fine line - when it's time to go one-on-one, when it's time to share the ball."

Jack's back, for now: Jackson expects to be in the starting lineup tonight after going through Monday's practice and feeling no pain in his left foot, but he'll have plenty to address in the summer between the ankle he first tweaked three weeks ago and ongoing problems with his left big toe.

"I think I'm going to have to put my foot in a boot to heal faster, but it's not bad enough that I can't play with it," said Jackson, who missed four games last season with what was initially diagnosed as a fracture, then changed to turf toe. "My ankle, it's something I definitely want to get checked. I try to compensate for my ankle sometimes, playing on the front of my foot."

Briefly: Nelson ran rookie Brandan Wrightwith the first team for part of practice and said the 6-foot-9 forward "definitely" will play tonight after his eight-point, eight-rebound outing against Atlanta on Friday.